I picked up this the other day, at a bookstore closing sale.
If there's interest, and comfort by site owners, I can scan and make available for posting... It covers popular changers up to 1961, including the little 45 changers. If it's something everyone already has, or is conveniently available online already, I will carry on...

I picked up this the other day, at a bookstore closing sale.
If there's interest, and comfort by site owners, I can scan and make available for posting... It covers popular changers up to 1961, including the little 45 changers. If it's something everyone already has, or is conveniently available online already, I will carry on...

Well, I'm starting to think this is a retrofit. It clearly started as a mass-produced item, due to the stamping instead of hand metalwork. I've looked thru radiomuseum.org and many other Google-able pics, and haven't seen any teardrop machines with this type of tonearm. They're all the nice bakelite versions shown above (although some are mounted backwards...) or a different, more trim version of the bakelite arm. I need to look through images of other manufacturer's products to see if there's a match.

Decojoe67, could you measure the tracking force (weight) of your original setup, to the nearest ounce or so? That would inform me as to what my target should be. Thanks in advance -- and great-looking work, too.

Well, I'm starting to think this is a retrofit. It clearly started as a mass-produced item, due to the stamping instead of hand metalwork. I've looked thru radiomuseum.org and many other Google-able pics, and haven't seen any teardrop machines with this type of tonearm. They're all the nice bakelite versions shown above (although some are mounted backwards...) or a different, more trim version of the bakelite arm. I need to look through images of other manufacturer's products to see if there's a match.

Decojoe67, could you measure the tracking force (weight) of your original setup, to the nearest ounce or so? That would inform me as to what my target should be. Thanks in advance -- and great-looking work, too.

Hi Chip - Sorry for the delay seeing your post. I don't have a way to check it accurately, but I plan to. The bakelite arm is not as heavy as it looks and is much lighter without the old heavy metal crystal cartridge. The replacement needle does not bottom out. Likely the arm has a max tracking weight for the needle, but it doesn't feel particularly heavy.